By Our Reporter
The 2021 MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA) will be held in Kampala, it has been officially announced. This comes as part of a partnership between MTV Africa and the Ministry of Tourism Wildlife and Antiquities which is aimed at promoting Uganda’s tourist attractions and also give a boost to the local tourism industry which is recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking during a virtual press conference held on Wednesday to announce the awards, Monde Twala, Senior Vice President & General Manager ViacomCBS Networks Africa (VCNA) said, “It is an incredible honour to announce that the 7th MTV Africa Music Awards will be hosted by the vibrantly diverse Uganda, The Pearl of Africa for the first time in February 2021. We are excited to bring this amazing showcase to audiences across the continent and globally with an innovatively re-imagined awards show and celebration. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, content production has embraced innovation as the new gold and we are excited to take Africa to the World and showcase its immense talent and culture as we stage the biggest music awards show on the continent.”
Hon. Godfrey Kiwanda, State Minister for Tourism Uganda commented, “It is an incredible achievement for Uganda to host the continent and International stakeholders for the MAMA Kampala 2021 for the first time. The awards are an extraordinary African cultural experience, and we understand the important role it plays in driving awareness, cross culture education and profiling the continent’s rich leisure tourism offerings on the international stage.”
“This is a wonderful opportunity for global audiences to experience Uganda’s magnificence, the profusion of brilliant life and diverse natural wildlife, and the vast scale of entertainment, events, art, culture, cuisine, history and shopping. We are also so proud to be able to highlight Uganda’s musical richness and give our talented artists the opportunity to showcase their immense talent, and the diversity of Uganda’s sounds, to music fans beyond this continent. This is indeed a momentous occasion for audiences to experience Uganda as truly ‘the Pearl of Africa’.” He added.
The MAMAs will recognize and reward musicians, trailblazers and those who are shining a light on the continent’s diverse talent and creativity by instilling positive impact on African music and youth culture over the previous year.
The event will celebrate African talent across 20 award categories, including Best Male, Best Female, Best Song, and Best Collaboration. The contribution of artists from Portuguese and French-speaking Africa will also be recognized in the Best Lusophone and Best Francophone categories. Additional new categories included are the MAMA Generation Change Award, Best Fan Base, Alone Together Best Lock-down Performance and Personality of the Year. These new categories seek to demonstrate MTV Base’s commitment to supporting the youth of Africa.
Craig Paterson, Senior Vice President & General Manager, VCNA, noted, “The latest edition of the MAMA promises to be our biggest and most innovative yet. Millions of fans worldwide will enjoy the digitally re-imagined celebration and African music via multiple broadcasts globally. We are excited to partner with Uganda to bring viewers a unique format and experience that positions Africa’s diverse heritage and digital innovation.”
The nominees will be announced in December 2020 and music lovers will have their say by voting for their favourite stars online.
The award ceremony will then be held virtually on Saturday, 20th February, 2021, and will be broadcast on MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) and MTV (DStv Channel 130).